Asma' Girls School: Path for Hope and Seed for Change!

In the sub-district of Al-Ramiyah Al-Oulia (Al-Sukhnah district, Al-Hudaidah governorate), the co-ed Al-Thawrah School was overcrowded with male and female students, which caused the dropout of large numbers of girls, especially after grade three.

For this reason, and because that region is the center of attraction for many villages (such as Sha'awnah, Saif Abdo, Al-Jawi, Al-Nahari, Al-Mermadah, Al-Ma'asyat, Al-Mesbar, Al-Sho'oub and Al-Goroub...), SFD decided to intervene by building the Asma' Girls School––along with providing furniture, equipment and various facilities. The main goal of this intervention was to increase girls' enrollment rates, allow girls to continue study until the secondary level, enable those who had dropped out to return to continue their education and to ultimately create high school outputs––thus, improving the educational situation in the region.

The following are three testimonials from Asma' Girls School on the significant effect of this intervention:

((All of us seek to the development and revival of our community, which can be reached only through the education of both women and men alike. Education of girls in our district, however, had suffered from difficulties and drawbacks, particularly in relation to co-education in one school!

It was a dream for all girls and their families to have a single sex gender school. This dream became a reality when a ray of hope came from the Social Fund for Development (SFD). The small basic-education school that emerged after SFD's intervention allowed our dream to grow up bigger and bigger! The basic level was followed by intermediate, and then secondary. Now, God willing, the school includes all the three levels, and we all hope it will continue to be a success)).

Ramadanah Abdullah Ibrahim Zuhairi

Principal, Asma' Girls School

((Girl's education level was very low in the area, and there was a small number of educated girls.

Nevertheless, after the girls had been separated and their own school was built by the Social Fund, the number of girls enrolled considerably increased and girls' education rose. Even those female pupils and students who had discontinued education, started to pour from the neighboring villages into the school and register in the intermediate and secondary levels to complete their education. This applies to girls of different ages.

Thanks to Allah, and then to the Social Fund Asma' School has inspired all the inhabitants in the entire area)).

Fatima Yahya Mohammed Shela'

Chairman of the Mothers' Council

((I studied at Al-Thawrah School starting from grade one. At that time, my family asserted that they would allow me to attend only part of the basic level and kept telling me, "Just the first four grades. Only"!

Fortunately, when I reached the grade four, Asma' Girls' School was already built by the Social Fund and my family stopped repeating "Just" and "Only", allowing me to complete my study.

However, having finished grade nine, I once again faced the family's refusal to go on schooling in the secondary level at Al-Thawrah (mixed) School. I tried to convince them by all means, but to no avail. So, I was obliged to give up and interrupt my study, sitting at home. I was overwhelmed by despair at length of realizing my great dream: continuing education.

One day, a ray of hope penetrated the dark clouds of sadness when I heard of the opening of the secondary level at Asma' School. I've never felt so happy before. I forgot all my sufferings and distress and started again to renew my ambition to take the highest certifications and earn the uppermost positions.

Even my colleague, Washeelah, 19, whose family had also refused to let her enroll in the mixed school, did not expect to start schooling at this age––not ashamed of attending the first basic grades at that age. She is now in grade nine and is aspiring to be a teacher in the same school.

This SFD-built girls-only school is a real path for hope for many girls in the region and vicinities and a seed for favorable change)).

Fullah Ahmed Hussein

Student in grade nine